It was a
sad day in May 2003 when “The Old Man of the Mountain” broke apart and slid
down the mountainside. This 40-foot profile of an old man’s face, carved by
nature in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, had long been an attraction to
tourists, a solid presence for residents, and the official state emblem. It was
written about by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his short story The Great Stone Face.
Some
nearby residents were devastated when The Old Man fell. One woman said, “I grew
up thinking that someone was watching over me. I feel a little less
watched-over now.”
There are
times when a dependable presence disappears. Something or someone we’ve relied
on is gone, and our life is shaken. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, or a
job, or good health. The loss makes us feel off-balance, unstable. We might
even think that God is no longer watching over us.
But “the
eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Ps.
34:15). He “is near to those who have a broken heart” (v.18). He is the Rock
whose presence we can always depend on (Deut. 32:4).
God’s
presence is real. He continually watches over us. He is rock-solid.
The question is not where is God, but where isn’t He? (RBC)
